Gone Gaga!
by AlbertGurl
Summary: After a vial of Water of Youth explodes in Albert's laboratory, the Freaks have been turned into mischievous babies! The Guides, Daryl, Charpes and friends have to not only take care of these cute and pesky babies, but also find the Water of Growth in order to turn them back. If the Guides find it time, good fortune would befall them, if not, the Freaks would forever be children!
1. Attaining Samples

**NOTE: This story is rated T for swearing and some scenes with alcohol. Anyone who does not like curse words should turn away now.**

* * *

><p>Albert's laboratory at the top tower of the castle always had some kind of chemical smoke rising from the beakers and vials. This time, he was truly trying to invent something. Pink smoke rose from one of the two beakers he was working with. One beaker had a rosy pink chemical that smelled of a newborn's skin(the same smell Bird described in his dream before), the other had a metallic blue liquid that didn't release any visible odours(which was Freak Essence). He took a dropper and got a little bit of the pink chemical. He had already set up a petri dish with the essence and carefully dropped the pink chemical into it. The reaction it had intrigued him. The essence, with the pink chemical in it turned into a strange purple goo(the same colour as Chubchub's spots). He took the petri dish and set it next to the tarantula cage. He grabbed a cotton swab, dipped it into the goo and gently applied it onto the tarantula. The tarantula being quite used to being the guinea pig of its master's experiments, prepared itself for trying the goo out. At first, nothing happened, but after a few minutes, the tarantula doubled in size. After that, it shrunk back down to its normal size. This wasn't exactly something Albert was looking for, because this was a common reaction.<p>

"Yet, it still fails to please me." Albert mumbled as he wrote in his notepad.

Every Freak person knew well that Albert wanted to see something new each time he worked with chemicals. The thing about that was that the reactions he was getting were either too usual for him or not quite appealing to him. He put his notepad down and put the essence beaker's stopper back into it. He sighed and thought solemnly, "Yet, another failure into trying to create something new. No big deal, every scientist starts off as a failure, before they raise up the ranks."

He went back to his study(at least, that's what he called his bedroom) and read one shelf-full of books. He tried not to blow up on anyone, even if they were getting on his nerves(although nobody was in the castle at this time). He couldn't think straight, nor could he read his book properly. He closed the book and sipped his tea. He let out a sigh and thought, "Maybe I'm taking this too harshly. Yeah. I think I need a walk or something. In fact, I should go see what the others are up to."

He pulled out his cellphone, dialed some numbers and put the receiver to his ear. No answer, so he put the phone down again. Before he could go back to reading his book, the phone rang. Immediately he picked it up.

"Chubs?" Albert asked.

"Noo, it's me." a raspy voice replied.

"'Me' who?"

"Me Gilly, ya geek!"

"Oh, of course!"

"Why'd ya think I was that weird chameleon of yours?"

"One, she's not a chameleon, and two, I just called her to see what she was up to. Gettin' kinda lonesome in this big ol' castle."

"Come see me then! Besides, I have those water samples that you wanted for your test."

"Oh, good, I was gettin' concerned about those."

"Well, ya better get 'em or else I'm gonna give 'em to somebody else."

"Okay fine, Plum Beard."

Albert then hung the phone up and grabbed his book bag. Before he left the castle, he wrote down a message and then wandered down to Dr. Gilly's apartment.

* * *

><p>About an hour after Albert left, Bird, Chubchub and Doc returned. They were out on a long drive to the creeks and caught plenty of fish. Entering the castle, they noticed the message on the small side table. Bird picked it up, read it and set it down again.<p>

"All's well," he said, "I'd guess he got bored tendin' to this enormous castle all by himself."

"Seems like he needed to get the water samples earlier than when he said he had to," Chubchub said, setting down the fish-filled cooler, "'cause Gilly told me he got 'em early."

"What does he need water samples for?" Doc asked, "It's just water, what's the importance of plain ol' water?"

This remark made Bird mad, but not enough to make his internal bomb explode.

"WRONG!" Bird roared.

Doc drew back in surprise and stared at his big friend with a questioning face. Bird let out a sigh and a small puff of steam blew out from his head. He knew Doc was not a scientist or alchemist, he calmed down immediately.

"Kid," Bird started, "Those water samples are not like the bottles of mountain water or tap water that's found in everyone's kitchen. They're samples of aging water. Y'know, from the Fountain of Time?"

Doc took a little time to think about this and remembered.

"Oh yeah, that stuff!" he replied, "Isn't that the same water that turns you older or younger depending on the colour of the water?"

"Yep." Bird said, "'Tisn't a myth, like everyone's been saying it is."

"Well then. No wonder Al was worried about them getting' stolen."

"Yep. Well, let's get these cleaned up, shall we?"

* * *

><p>"But still," Gilly said, "the purple one is meant to turn you older and the pink one makes you younger."<p>

"Y-Yeah, I know." Albert replied with a drunken slur.

Dr. Gilly and Albert had spent hours, talking and drinking. Dr. Gilly had the best tolerance for alcohol in all of Nyrd and almost always had some kind of alcoholic drink in his complex. Whenever he tempted Albert into drinking, the young scientist wouldn't stop drinking until either all of the alcohol he was having was gone or he passed out. Clearly, Albert was quite drunk, so he couldn't think straight.

"Y'know Al," Dr. Gilly stated, "I think I should take ya home."

"No, no," Albert replied, "I can take a carriage back to the castle."

"But the carriages are all put away after 5:30, remember?"

"Oh yeah. That's right. I'll just walk, then."

"You're sure you can hack it?"

"I'm 50% sure I can handle it. It'll be worth a shot."

"Oookay then, whatever you say, Einstein."

Albert then walked out of the complex. Dr. Gilly shook his head and sighed. As Albert walked down the brick streets, he made sure not to drop or hit his book bag against anything. Even thought he was drunk out of his mind, he remembered to keep the water samples safe from harm. He didn't get very far from the complex before he gave up walking and sat down next to a streetlight. He was very dizzy from being drunk and weary. His senses didn't work properly, so everything(even with his glasses on) spun, his legs felt like jelly and his stomach felt like it was completely shaken up. He was ready to pass out until he heard wheels squeaking. This was the sound of Agatha's carriage. It stopped right next to him and Agatha opened the door. She could see that her lover was completely drunk and needed some assistance.

"Looks like you could use a ride." Agatha whispered, as she extended a tentacle out to gently grab Albert.

"Ughh," Albert groaned, "I guess I could."

"Well, looks like I came just in time."

After Agatha put Albert into her carriage, her coach driver headed to the direction of the Freak Castle. As they rode, Agatha looked at her weary lover as he lied on his side, groaning miserably. She felt a lot of pity for him and she extended a tentacle to gently pat is back. He looked at her and waved a hand, indicating that he was going to be fine, considering how awful he felt.

"You're sure you can handle it?" Agatha asked in a worried tone.

"Just about." Albert replied.

"Okay then."

Eventually, the carriage arrived to the Freak Castle. Agatha helped Albert into the castle and she gave him the lightest of kisses. He looked up at her with a weary expression and waved lightly. Agatha then left, staring into he lover's eyes the whole time. As Albert made his way to the couch, he sat down and lowered his head. He assumed that he was going to be quite sick, but he was merely very drunk. He felt someone sit down next to him.

"Drunk again, I see." Bird's voice said, distinctively.

"When visiting Gilly, how can I not?" Albert asked.

"Sheesh. 'Tis about time you went to bed."

Standing up, Albert nodded and hazily walked up the stairs. He entered his bedroom and put his book bag on his desk, took out the water samples and then lied own on his bed, kicking his shoes off.

"Boy oh boy, Albert," he thought, "You are going to have a severe hangover in the mornin', but at least you got something to test your mind with."


	2. Experiments Gone Wrong

Albert managed to recover from his hangover rather quickly, with the assistance of Doc and Chubchub to help him out of his "illness". Everyone knew well that Albert got drunk very easily, even after having two shots of hard liquor. He was a slender young man, thus proving this. Once Albert was up on his feet again, he immediately went back to work. He remembered going to Dr. Gilly's complex and picking up the bottles of Aging Water, one to turn a person older, the other turned them young. He knew just who to try these samples on and grabbed two small syringes and filled them up with each of the water samples.

His lab rat sat patiently in her cage, watching as her master filled the syringes with the Aging Water samples. She never did mind trying out Albert's experiments and was the only volunteer who was willing to risk her life for her master. She was willing to test these out and possibly, be younger again. Albert approached the cage and gently lifted the charcoal-coloured rat out of it and set her on the operating table. He set the tray he put the syringes down onto the table and thought carefully about which one to use first.

"Which one do _you _think should go first?" Albert asked the rat.

The rat sniffed each of the syringes and pawed at the one bearing the purple water. Albert lifted it up and tapped the needle.

"Alrighty then," he said, gently restraining the rat down, "hold still and don't move."

He was almost afraid to inject the water into the rat, but pushed down on the syringe's plunger. As soon as he took out the needle, the rat instantly became thin and feeble... like an old woman. This reaction intrigued Albert and he wrote down the reaction in his notepad and afterwards, grabbing his camera and took a picture of the rat's appearance.

"Alright, next one." he said again and injected the pink water into the rat.

The rat's appearance turned from old and feeble to young and strong. She seemed to be pleased about being younger again and crawled into her master's hand to return to her cage. After putting the rat back into her cage, Albert wrote the next reaction down on his notepad and set it down to pet his rat.

"Looks like we both got what we wanted." Albert said to her, stroking her gray fur, "You to be young again, and me a good reaction that could help the both of us."

* * *

><p>"A success?!" Dr. Gilly asked cheerfully.<p>

"All written down and photographed for everyone to see." Albert replied, smiling.

"Excellent!"

"Although I do have some thoughts. Maybe I should try the water samples on an actual person, y'know, to see if they'd work on something other than a rat. Y'think maybe I should do that just in case?"

"Sure, sure. I mean, most _real_ successes are achieved when tested on a person, right? I'll give you a bit more time, up to a month at most. Sound good?"

"Works for me."

"Alrighty then, see ya next month."

"See ya."

Albert hung up the phone and heaved a sigh.

"A month is a lot more time than I need!" Albert thought happily, "That means my mind can be put to rest as I'm researching! Good man, Gilly."

He wandered into the kitchen, where he saw Annie standing in front of the broom closest. Annie approached him and hugged him.

"A-Ann?" Albert asked, hesitantly, "What... what's this about?"

"I dunno," Annie replied, "I just feel more... good than usual. Although, I did investigate the attic, when I was cleaning the hallway yesterday and what did I find?"

"Wh-what?"

"A whole bunch of... children's furniture."

Albert thought about this response for a minute and then remembered.

"Oh!" he said, "The um, the baby furniture! I remember now! I've had that stuff since Doc's parents were killed. Man, that was a long time ago. Can't believe it's been twelve years since we met."

"Yeah, after I saw that," Annie replied, "it kind of struck a question to me."

"What?"

Annie took a deep breath and asked, "What were you like when you were a baby, Albert?"

This question made Albert feel rather sheepish. His face turned as red as a beet and he turned away in embarrassment. He began to laugh shyly and replied, "I... I won't tell you!"

"Oh come on!" Annie pleaded, "I promise I won't tell anyone else if you told me!"

"N-No, it's not that I don't want to tell you, I don't remember too much of the times when I was that small!"

"Ohh, I see. Well, that's OK. I'm sure your mother would be able to tell you, since she did take care of you, right?"

"Uh, right."

"Okay then, see ya later!"

Annie then left the room. Albert thought about Annie's question for hours. Even when he was sitting in his bed and reading his books, he still thought about her question.

"I wish I could tell her," he thought as he read, "but I get so embarrassed so quickly when I tell a person about my past! Ugh. Oh well, I need to get some sleep and then I'll gather everyone into the lab to test out the Aging Waters."

He set his book on the side table and blew out the candle sitting there. He took his glasses off and set his head down on his pillow... which felt surprisingly comfortable. This was unusual for his pillow to feel like pure silk, but he fell asleep in almost an instant.

* * *

><p>As she spooled through the bookshelf, Annie saw the binding of what appeared to be a scrapbook. She pulled it out to see that it really was a scrapbook. She opened it and read the first page. This was a scrapbook that Albert's mother had made a long time ago. Every photograph in it was of Albert when he was a baby. She heaved sighs of adoration and as she flipped each page, she saw a list that was gummed in beeswax. This was a list of how to take care of Albert when he was a baby.<p>

"This must've been a list made for his babysitters." Annie thought as she read it, "Let's see... 'Feeding times vary, depending on his mood...' 'He does not like masks, because he covers his eyes every time he sees them...'"

She set the scrapbook back on the shelf and thought, "Man, he must've been a silly-billy as a baby! No wonder he got so embarrassed when I asked him what he was like!"

* * *

><p>Bird awoke feeling awful. His head ached, his intestines felt like they were turned inside-out and his mouth felt drier than usual. He felt maybe he was sick, but that was impossible, since his immunity was much better than even Albert's. He sat up and put his coat on.<p>

"Ugh," Bird groaned, "if only I didn't feel like I'm so damn sick... That'd make me happier."

No sooner did Bird say this, his buzzer sounded off. He didn't want to answer it, but did because he knew who would be calling him.

"What?" he asked.

"You all the way awake, Bird?" Albert's voice asked him.

"Almost. I feel like a complete zombie, even though those things haven't been around in a couple of centuries."

"Uh-huh. Anyways, come up to the lab later on, I need some official testers on the water samples I received from Dr. Gilly the other day. You up to it?"

Bird thought for a moment. He knew when Albert wanted to test out his new experiments, it would be risky for the young scientist to test them out himself and he could get himself killed by these experiments. After all, he did swear to protect and take even the most lethal risks for his friend.

"I mean, why not?" Bird replied, "If it'll truly turn me younger, I'll be more than happy to be as young as you are again."

"Awesome!" Albert said happily, "I already asked the others if they wanted to come along as well and they're in on it as well, so we can all try it out ourselves."

"Okay then. And I'm sure it'll work on us, 'cause it worked when your rat tried 'em out."

"It's a possibility. Anyways, see you upstairs."

Bird shut the buzzer off and he let out another pained groan. He felt there was going to be a problem with this experiment, but at least it wasn't enough to cause major pandemonium or the death of one of his comrades.

* * *

><p>Once everyone gathered up to the laboratory, Albert stood in front of his friends and without any hesitation said, "Now, as we all know, I have received some Aging Water from Dr. Gilly the other day and tested them out on my rat. They worked on her, but on Freak Folk and other things, we're about to see. As you can see, this dark purple one is said to turn you older and the pink one makes you younger. One thing I have not actually tried yet is this: 'For a second youth, the heat of blazing flames will increase potency of the Youth water.' I'm not a hundred percent clear if this is true or not, but either way, we will see soon enough. Now let's prep this machine for experimenting."<p>

As the Freaks set up the machinery, the bottle of Youth water fell onto a burner, heating the bottle right up, to the point where it began to boil... enough to where the bottle's cork would end up flying off eventually. Once the Freaks were finished setting up the machinery, they heard something shake. Their attention was drawn toward the vibrating bottle of pink water and they began to panic. They ran to the table where the water samples were and tried grabbing it, but the bottle was so hot that they couldn't hold it and the bottle was thrown up into the air. The Freaks prepared themselves for what could've been their second childhood. As the bottle shattered, pink steam pervaded the air and the Freaks' clothes were soaked with the pink water. The Guides came up just in time to see what was going on. While the Guides were calling out to the Freaks, the Freaks felt their skin turn soft, their limbs getting smaller(and weaker), some of their teeth fade out and altogether, they got smaller... and younger. Once the steam faded, the Guides were mortified as of what they saw. Daryl approached Bird, who was turned into a baby and saw the others, turned into babies as well.

"Looks like we're gonna have to call Gilly and request a replacement." Daryl said.

"W-Why?" Charpes asked, "What happened to the 'grow-up' water?"

Daryl heaved an annoyed sigh and stood up.

"What happened to the Growth Water if over there." Daryl replied, pointing at a plant pot that sat by the table.

The Growth Water spilled over into the pot of a nearby sapling and in an instant, the sapling had flourished into a full-grown palm tree.

"Oh, jeez!" Charps exclaimed in horror, "What're we gonna do with them?!"

Annie stepped up with a concerned expression and looked at the Freaks. She jumped as though she startled and she smiled.

"Oh my gosh!" Annie exclaimed happily, "They're so cute!"

Daryl looked up at Charpes and Richard with a look telling them what her suggestion was.

"Ohh no! No way am I gonna help out!" Richard shouted, backing away from Daryl, "I'm not gonna touch a stinkin' baby! Worse yet, a baby Freak!"

The Freaks looked up at Richard with upset looks on their faces. Richard began to sweat with hesitance and stuttered. Afterwards, the Freaks began to cry.

"Now look what you did, Richard!" Annie said, kneeling to the floor to try and comfort the baby Freaks.

"You're helping me bring that baby furniture down, Richard." Daryl said in a stern tone, "That's an order from your commander."

* * *

><p><strong>I apologize for not posting this chapter much sooner, I know some of you might've wanted a chapter soon after the last one, I had some horrible writer's block, but I'm getting inspiration to write now. C:<strong>

**Next chapter will have scenes of vomit and possible dirty-diaperage, _maybe_ some language.**


	3. Adjusting to Babyhood(Again)

Richard and Daryl had spent one tedious hour bringing down the baby beds that Albert had previously used to take care of Doc and assembling the three beds(one which was portable, one a cradle and the last being a crib). It was a real pain, convincing Richard to hep her, but because he was the best at assembling furniture, he helped her anyways. Especially since Daryl was going to blame him for spilling both samples of water.

Daryl wiped her sweaty forehead off after cleaning the fully assembled beds and stood up.

"Well those were hard to build." Daryl said, taking her work gloves off,"Without your advice, I would've spent hours trying to build these."

"Tell me about it!" Richard replied, "Especially since these are hefty pieces of furniture. Where are we gonna put 'em?"

"Let's move 'em to the game room, the Freaks spend a lot of time in there anyways."

"Alright."

Both struggled in bringing the beds to the game room, where they solved their puzzles, now this room was being converted into a nursery. This wasn't too big a deal for Daryl and the others, because they knew the Freaks spent a lot of time in that room. Long enough to even put pictures up on the walls. Daryl was sure that even in the state of being babies, they would love to spend time in their favourite room, because somehow, even with a bunch of people in there, this room was always spacious. Finally, they were finished prepping the area, folded up the Puzzle Table and set down a rug. Now the game room was turned into a nursery.

"There," Daryl said heaving a sigh, "that should do it. All we need now is the Freaks and that'll be all."

"How're we gonna adjust 'em to this kind of setting?" Richard asked with concern, "You know, how are they going to get used to this form?"

Daryl lowered her head thoughtfully and replied, "That's a good question. If they've had experiences with out-of-body exploration and bore other forms even in dreams as a baby, this should not be hard for them to adjust to. And with the experience I've had with kids before, I'm sure everyone else'll learn something from my skills."

"But you babysat YEARS ago!" Richard exclaimed.

"I know, but once you learn something, it's hard to forget it. After all, I am the Head Commander, right?"

"Yeeeaaah. I guess."

* * *

><p>"Good thing they fell asleep so quickly!" Annie said, "Otherwise, they'd be tossing tantrums!"<p>

"Yeah!" Charpes replied, "Hopefully, they'll sleep long enough to give us time to adjust."

"Now to carry these guys to the game room, or, as Daryl put it, the 'Temporary Nursery'. I find that name rather hilarious."

"Y-Yeah, I agree!"

As Annie took Chubchub and Bird onto her shoulders, Charpes watched her carefully. He picked up Albert and Doc and followed Annie to the game room. He still watched her shining lavender eyes as she gently placed each Freak she held into the crib, took the Freaks he held and put them in separate beds. Annie eventually noticed how intently Charpes watched her.

"What're you looking at?" Annie asked almost angrily.

"N-Nothing!" Charpes whispered, "I was just lookin' at you because I wanted to tell you something!"

"Alright, but not in here."

They walked out of the game room and into the living room. Both sat down on the couch and relaxed themselves.

"Soo," Annie asked, "what did you wanna tell me, Charpes?"

"W-Well," Charpes started, "You know Richard. When we were calming the Freaks down, he had this kind of... rebellious look in his eyes. I'm kind of thinking maybe he's going to try and scare them when he gets the chance, to try and tell them a message. If I'm correct, he's hated kids since the last time we had to guard a school, right? Well, I think he'll assume that he can pick on them because they're in the state of being that is known for being the lesser of humanity... or, whatever you call it for Freak Folk."

Annie thought about this carefully and thought, "You know, I think Charpes could be right. If Richard thinks he can pick on 'em like this, it'l only make the Freaks distrust him more. Enough to where they could just despise him."

"I believe you are correct." Annie said, "He did say no when we were told to guard the children of the school. So I think we should watch Richard carefully, in case he wants to make fun of them."

"That's a good idea." Charpes said without a single stutter.

* * *

><p>Bird was the first to awaken from the brief, but well-needed slumber he had. He looked at his surroundings to see that he was in the game room. Not only that, but he was in a crib too. With Chubchub sleeping next to him.<p>

"Oh great." Bird mumbled, "First I'm reduced to being a baby again and now I have to share a crib with someone else. What more could go on?!"

The shouting woke Chubchub up and she looked at Bird with a dreary expression.

"What's the matter, Birdy?" Chubchub asked, "You're angry?"

This question confused Bird a lot, but he figured that it was because she was still half-asleep.

"D'ya realize what we've become?" Bird asked grumpily, "We've been reduced to babies."

"W-WHAT?!" Chubchub asked.

She seemed to be fully awake now and she looked at her body, seeing that she was smaller, somewhat chubbier and her scales were quite soft. Immediately after she discovered her appearance, she let out a grin.

"I can still climb things, I suppose!" she remarked as she climbed up the bars of the crib.

Bird could see where she was going and as far as he can tell, it wasn't going to end well. Chubchub climbed from the edge of the crib to the portable bed, where Albert was sleeping deeply. Her eyes widened when she saw how little hair Albert had.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, "So that's what Al looked like as a baby! Now to see Doc!"

Bird winced at the thought of trying to climb up the crib. He knew that with the strength he had at this stature, he would not be able to climb up the crib with ease and Chubchub was the best climber, even as a baby. Chubchub looked into the cradle and then crawled back across the portable crib... but slipped and not only caused the portable crib to fall, but woke Albert up as well. Both could see how unhappy Albert was about being woken up from and that he was bawling loudly. Everyone knew Albert had the loudest voice of all when he yelled, how could that be any different as a baby when he cried?

"You blew it, Chubs." Bird said with a frown.

"I didn't mean to!" Chubchub hissed, "That cradle was already quite weak!"

The Guide who heard this crying was Charpes. He immediately picked Albert up and tried to calm him down. He looked at Bird and Chubchub and asked, "Who did that?"

Bird pointed at Chubchub with an honest expression on his face. Charpes looked at her with a stern expression. He then left the room and barely shut the door. Bird looked at the purple mutant again and said, "You explain the problem to Al when he comes back."

"I think he already knows the problem!" Chubchub replied, "After all, he's the one who got the samples and tested them."

"Well then, I'm sure he'll realize that we need to get replacements of the water samples."

"Maybe he will."

* * *

><p>Daryl dialed a number on the Freaks' phone and listened to the dial tone for a minute.<p>

"Come on, Gilly," Daryl thought as she heard the tone, "Please pick up!"

Eventually, there was an answer. But it wasn't who she expected it to be.

"Hello?" a woman's voice asked.

This was Dr. Gilly's wife, Serena, who managed Dr. Gilly's complex, while he was working or away.

"Hello, Serena," Daryl replied, "It's me. The Lady?"

"OH! That lady!" Serena said in slight shock, "Haven't heard from you in ages! How have you been?"

"Good. Listen, is your husband at home?"

Daryl was really not feeling too good. She was stressed out from having to deal with four baby Freaks and a reluctant mechanic who wasn't willing to help, even if his commander ordered him to. She was both angry and unusually stressed out.

"I'm so sorry, Lady." Serena eventually replied, "Patrick's not here right now. He's going to be out for a week. But I'll let him know you called when he gets back."

"G-good." Daryl stuttered, "When he gets back, tell him Dr. Alcatrazzle is requesting replacements of the Water of Aging samples."

"Oh, whatever happened to the ones he had before?"

"They shattered. You know that Albert doesn't work when he doesn't have the components to his experiments."

Daryl half-expected Serena to be mad, but instead, she heard, "I understand, Lady. I'll let Patrick know when he gets back."

"Thanks, Serena, I knew I could count on you."

"Alrighty, see you at the Science Court."

Daryl then hung up and let out an exhausted sigh.

"Damn it." she thought, "Well, a week's better than being out for a whole month. And we still have enough time to maintain until Gilly gets back. Ugh. For now, I'm gonna have to deal with this issue."

* * *

><p>"And no mischief-making until Daryl's awake, clear?" Charpes asked the baby Freaks.<p>

The baby Freaks nodded. Charpes then left the room. The Freaks gathered on the rug.

"You intended this to happen, did you?" Bird asked Albert angrily.

"If he did do it on purpose," Doc replied, "he would at least let us know. I mean, would you have done it?"

Albert, who sat with his back turned the whole time squeaked out, "No."

"See Bird? He even admitted it!"

"Okay, okay," Bird grumbled, "I admit that I am being kind of unfair, especially since I'm not a scientist. Theems like we have to twy to get used to thith."

The others looked at him with weirded-out faces. Bird realized what was happening and thought, "What in Nyrd's name is happening to my speech?! Is it adjusting to baby-talk? I don't believe this!"

He turned around. This was very embarrassing. To make matters even worse, he began to smell something. He realized what had just happened.

"Oh gweat." Bird groaned, "Firth the baby-thpeech, now thith icky-diaper thtuff? Gosh."

"Golly, are you tinky!" Doc remarked as he held his sensitive nose.

"Looks like you need a changing!" Chubchub exclaimed.

Bird lowered his head in embarrassment and his face turned red. He was so embarrassed that tears started to stream down his face. The other Freaks backed up, because they knew what he was going to do next. They hid underneath a cradle and held their ears.

"Here it comes!" Albert said, fearfully.

* * *

><p>Charpes had finished up folding the laundry. He sat down and sighed in content.<p>

"That's better." he thought, "Now, what else should I clean?"

No sooner did he think this, he heard a loud cry. He knew what this was and immediately ran.

The Freaks hiding under the cradle held their ears, as Bird roared incessantly. But his roars sounded like cries and if he were a grown-up, this roaring would've scared the Freaks half to death. Charpes had bursted in to see three of the Freaks hiding under a cradle and one on the rug. He picked Bird up and Bird's roars immediately diminished.

"Now, let's see what you issue is." Charpes said as he checked the monster's diaper.

Bird couldn't tell if someone looking in his diaper or soiling it was worse, but he got very embarrassed.

"And then there's that!" Bird thought as he was being carried to the changing table.

"Alright, monster, hold still." Charpes said soothingly, as he cleaned Bird.

Charpes then began to hum, which made Bird calm down. This surprised Bird quite a bit and it made him forget how angry he was earlier, it made him forget that he even soiled himself at all and it even made him forget what his problem was in the first place. As he listened to Charpes's soothing humming, Bird began to feel sleepy again. His eyes got harder to keep open and he let out a yawn. Charpes was eventually finished cleaning up the monster and put him in his bed to have a nap. The other Freaks got out from underneath the cradle. Charpes picked Albert and Doc up, while Chubchub climbed onto his shoulders. Charpes smiled and asked, "Who's hungry?"

Each of the Freaks responded by raising their hands up. Charpes then carried them to the kitchen and set them on the table. He brought out a container filled with green mush out from the refrigerator. He set the container down and pulled out a single highchair. This was the only highchair the Freaks had, so Charpes brought in a cars seat and set it on the table. He set Doc in the highchair, Albert in the car seat and Chubchub sat still on the table. Once Charpes applied the buckles on the car seat to Albert, he brought out three small bowls and scraped the baby food into them. As Charpes did this, Albert intently watched Charpes's face to see how cheerful he was.

"Charpes is being awfully cheery today." Albert thought, "Wonder what's gotten him full of pep?"

Charpes them approached the Freaks and reached for a spoon. As he was doing this, Chubchub pulled one bowl towards her and began eating with her paws. Charpes then saw that Chubchub was eating her food by herself and smiled. Chubchub noticed that this food had tasted slightly sweet... and green.

"Made this myself." he said as he scooped up a spoonful of the green mush, "Cabbage, kale and a little bit of pear too."

Pear. That explained the sweetness. Charpes fed Albert first and then fed Doc. Chubchub had already finished hers and licked her paws. She noticed Albert's face had a few splatters of the green mush on his cheeks and she began to lick his cheeks, making Albert laugh.

"It's so good to see them having fun." Charpes thought as he watched Chubchub clean the others' faces, "After so long, they should end up enjoying their time like this."

* * *

><p>Bird awoke from a well-deserved snooze and let out a big yawn. He sat up and looked up at a mobile hanging above him.<p>

"That wasn't here earlier." Bird thought, "Charpes must've put this up while I was asleep. At least I feel better."

As he opened his eyes a bit more, he saw the others playing with toys on the rug. He managed to climb out of the crib and toddled towards the rug. The other Freaks noticed Bird coming.

"Hey, Bird!" Albert said.

"Hey guys." Bird replied, "Can I play with you?"

"Go right ahead!"

As Bird sat down on the rug, he grabbed a nearby ball. He took a good look at the still-shiny and brightly coloured ball and tossed it up into the air. Bird watched the ball bounce with awe and he smiled. He threw it up and watched it bounce again. This time, it made him laugh. He did it a third time and he kept laughing with glee. When he tossed it up again, he noticed Chubchub laying on the floor... looking quite miserable. He approached her and asked her, "Chubs? Are you okay?"

"Nooo..." Chubchub replied, "I don't feel so good. My tummy hurts. It feels like it's bubbling up."

Chubchub then began to Cough. Bird backed up and watched her. Chubchub coughed until she eventually threw up onto the wood floor. Albert and Doc noticed this and stopped what they were doing. They walked to Chubchub with worried faces.

As a grown-up, it was very rare to see Chubchub ever vomit because her stomach was the most powerful of all the group she was in. Normally, she was able to eat even spoiled foods and not get sick from eating them. Even as a baby, it was still a shocking thing to see.

"I'm gonna get Charpes!" Albert said, toddling out of the room.

Bird and Doc watched her until Charpes arrived. As Charpes put her into the portable bed, she began to whimper. She felt so ashamed about throwing up that she got upset.

"Stay here, Chubs." Charpes said, "I'm going to get some medicine, okay?"

Chubchub nodded in response and she lowered her head. She really was sick. The other Freaks stayed by her side and comforted her when she began to whine. Once Charpes came back, he filled a small spoon with the medicine. Chubchub willingly opened her mouth and swallowed the medicine quickly.

"Very good." Charpes said.

He then got a towel and cleaned up the vomit.

"We're lucky that you threw up on the wood part of the floor." Charpes said as he cleaned the floor.

When he was done, he noticed the time.

"I think it's high time everyone else went to bed too." Charpes said.

He checked and changed the Freaks' diapers, dressed them in pajamas and then wound up the music box. After he set them into the beds, he slowly walked out of the room. He opened the door to see that all four of the Freaks were asleep and then closed it.

* * *

><p><strong>Hello again everyone! I have returned after a long hiatus from writing. And this time, there will be no missing L's because I have a better keyboard. :D <strong>

**Next chapter will have some bonding between one of the Guides and a baby Freak. Can you guess who is going to bond with who?**


	4. Bonding with Richard?

**I deeply apologize for this chapter being so short, but eventually, there's going to be more action involved and that involves the on the thing the Freaks love the most: Mischief!**

* * *

><p>The morning chill seeped into the game room. As Bird slept, he felt a small breeze hit his bare arm. He awoke and started to shiver. He wrapped himself in the nearby blanket and shuddered.<p>

"Geez!" he thought, "Who knew that the simple morning breezes were so cold! Especially as a baby!"

While he shivered, he looked at the portable bed and instantly felt a small wave of worry hit him.

"I hope Chubs is okay." he thought as he stood up.

Being as he could not stand up on his own, Bird used the bars of the crib as support to help him stand up. He looked into the portable bed to see Chubchub had looked much better. Her scales were that cheery shade of purple once again and she wasn't whimpering. Throughout the night, Chubchub whined because she felt so horrible of not only throwing up, but also her stomach hurt. This made Bird worry and made him wonder if she was okay. Now that it was morning and the whines subsided, his worries vanished. He sat down in relief and covered himself in the blanket. He noticed Albert turn to his side and exhale deeply. Bird looked up at the clock to see it was 8:30 am, the normal waking time for Albert and the others. He didn't want to make Albert angry, but he gently poked the sleeping baby scientist, waking him up.

"Somethin' wrong?" Albert asked as he yawned.

"Noo," Bird replied, "everythin's okay."

"Dat reminds me, is Chubs okay?"

"I think so. She's not whinin' anymore."

"She is all better." Doc's voice called out, "Her skin's back to normal."

Bird and Albert turned to see Doc was floating right above the crib. The Freaks in the crib were astounded by the factor that Doc was still able to float in the air freely.

"Need help getting' out?" Doc asked.

"Sure, if you can lift us up." Bird replied with a slight hesitance.

Doc grabbed Bird's hands and pulled. Bird felt a little uncomfortable about this, but landed safely on the rug. Now Doc was lifting Albert up. He let go and fell into the pile of red satin pillows, but was free of damage.

"That was kinda fun." Albert said as he toddled to the rug.

"Now to try and wake Lady up." Doc said, drifting to the floor slowly.

"Not this time." Bird snapped, "We need to see if anyone's got problems. Y-You know what I mean!"

Albert knew what Bird was talking about and he touched his soaked diaper.

"I guess I'm all soaked." Albert said softly, "You?"

Bird shook his head. Doc shook his head as well.

"Very well then, I'm the only one who wet himself, I guess." Albert groaned.

* * *

><p>Richard awoke from a horrible sleep. He couldn't get over the factor that today was his turn to tend to the Freaks. He needed help, because he was always terrible when it came to taking care of children.<p>

"Shoot." he thought, "I wish I didn't have to do an entire day of this! Ugh, might as well listen to Daryl. Otherwise, she'll get mad and maybe whip me. Fine, but I should get Annie to help me out."

No sooner did he think this, he heard the sound of rain, hitting the brick streets of the city. It fell down hard and filled every gutter with water. The sound of rain had always motivated Richard into moving faster. He instantly felt better and sighed.

"Okay, maybe it's not gonna be that bad." he thought, "make positive out of negative. Like Albert does."

After he got dressed, Richard walked down the stairs to see Annie sitting on the couch. She looked up at him with a stern face. This worried Richard.

"A-Annie?" Richard asked with hesitance, "Why're you lookin' at me like that?"

"You do realize what you have to do?" Annie asked.

"Y-Yes, I know. It's actually convenient to run into ya, 'cause I was wonderin' if you'd... I dunno, help me out?"

"Being as you have little wisdom in taking care of children, I guess I'll have to. After all, you didn't do good the last time we tended to kids this age."

"Th-that's true."

"Charpes and I went over this the other day, so why should I not help out?"

"Th-thanks, Annie! I really appreciate the help!"

"Good. I already cleaned and dressed the Freaks already, so you should be able to tend to them just fine."

"'Kay, thanks."

As Richard left the room, Annie sighed and crept behind Richard, who has already prepping bottles of formula.

"I hope he isn't going to bug the Freaks." she thought, "At this state, they're so much easier to annoy, or worse, upset. I could imagine that he's planning his way of bugging them as he goes."

But to the Japanese girl's surprise, Richard didn't do anything to annoy the Freaks. All day he was being good-natured and slightly nervous, like usual. She wondered why he wasn't causing trouble, like she and Charpes anticipated. When nightfall arrived, Annie stopped watching Richard's movements. She gave up and returned to her room.

"Maybe he changed his mind about that." Annie thought as she brushed her delicate black hair, "Maybe he finally learned that he annoyed the living life out of the Freaks when he played pranks on them last year. Finally, he's giving them more respect!"

* * *

><p>Richard sat down on the couch and sighed. He was very tired from caring for the Freaks and finally could relax. He looked out the window to see that it was still raining. He smiled and sighed again.<p>

"Hope this rain keeps up." Richard thought, "I wouldn't be myself if it weren't for that."

As soon as he dropped his head back, he heard a squeak. He looked down to see that Chubchub was sitting next to him. She looked at him with affectionate eyes and crawled closer to the mechanic. Richard extended his arm to allow the mutant to climb up onto him. As she did, Richard felt that wave of uncertainty again, but with the expression Chubchub had, he felt better. She sat on his shoulder and smiled. She brushed her furry spines against his cheek and purred, allowing Richard to pet her. Chubchub really did want Richard to pet and scratch her spines, so she let Richard gently run his fingers through her fur. He couldn't tell if she was trying to bond with him or if this was an idea she and the others Freaks had. Either way, it worked out very nicely and Richard felt calmer again.

After a while, Chubchub hopped off the couch and returned to the game room. In a short amount of time, he felt much better than he did ealier and he relaxed himself.

"That was actually kinda nice." Richard thought, "But I wonder why she did that. Either way, that was kinda soothing."


	5. A Day of Mischief

The usual morning chill seeped into the game room. But this time, it wasn't as chilly. Bird wondered why. He sat up and stretched his arms and let out a yawn. Today, he had a plan.

"Now that Chubs softened that mechanic up," Bird thought as he stood up, "I think we can have a little bit of fun today."

He looked at Albert, who was still sleeping and gently shook his arm. Albert awoke and looked up at his leader.

"What'cha want?" Albert asked drearily.

From the look Bird had on his face, Albert could tell what he wanted to do. Albert's eyes widened and he backed up slightly.

"Are you sure you wanna risk it?" Albert asked, "The Guides are gonna get really mad if we cause some mischief! Plus, in this state, we'll get hurt even more easily and they're able to stop us much more easily!"

"Aw, come on, Al!" Bird pleaded, "You wanna be able to get that fun and freaky sensation in your head, don't ya?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"Then go with the flow! I have things planned out already, so I'll point out what everyone has to do."

Albert wanted to come up with a way to make Bird change his mind, but since he was willing to put even his life on the line, there was no use stopping the Freak Leader now.

"Oh all right," Albert groaned, "but if we get in trouble, remember, it's all your fault and not mine!"

* * *

><p>Daryl sat up in the bed. Her rough brown hair drooped down to her shoulders and her dark amethyst eyes glistened in the early noon sun. She sighed and looked at her sleeping lover.<p>

"Man oh man, did we have fun." Daryl thought.

In the previous night, Charpes and Daryl worked hard to tend to the Freaks and agreed to have their "fun" once the Freaks were asleep. After a good long period of time, they eventually fell asleep as well. Daryl awoke her lover with a gentle stroke. Charpes awoke and smiled at Daryl.

"Sleep well, love?" Charpes asked.

"Damn right, I did." Daryl replied as she stretched.

"Hope you have enough energy to manage the little 'uns."

"Don't worry, pretty boy. I have the motivation to even tend to the little weirdos that we could be spoiling."

Charpes knew Daryl was acting in a teasing matter, but she did seem to have the motivation to take care of four baby Freaks. As they got dressed, Daryl hummed a tune that Charpes thought sounded familiar. Her humming reminded him of the times when they used to go out on dates, when they used to spray-paint back alleyways and have several long hours of intimacy. Maybe all those times were what Daryl was thinking of and if that was the case, Charpes approved of this. Even as they walked down the stairs, Daryl still hummed her tune. Once they were downstairs, Daryl immediately picked up the phone and dialed some numbers. Charpes didn't want to interrupt her, so he walked to the kitchen, wondering why she seemed so joyful.

"I remember that song!" he thought as he brought out the ingredients for his stew, "But if she's humming that, then it means that she's thinking of the past! Is she thinking about the old days, when we used to torment rats and spray-paint walls? Back before...?"

His deep thought was interrupted by the door opening and seeing Annie come in. Her attire looked quite different than usual. Instead of her usual T-shirt and jeans outfit, she wore her white tanktop, silk over shirt and red skinny pants. Charpes wondered why she was wearing her nicer clothes.

"Annie?" Charpes asked, "What's with the out-of-the-house attire?"

"Oh that," Annie replied almost sheepishly, "Daryl told me she'll be able to manage the Freaks on her own today, so she said I can relax. Either that or go out with Richard, like I've been intending to for quite some time, and that's what I'm going to do!"

"Oh. Okay then. Don't think she'll mind me here, would she?"

"You know what, she did say she wanted to spend a bit of 'alone time' with you, so I'm sure that means that she wants to be with you today."

"Ahh."

"Maybe that's why she's acting so cheeky." Charpes thought.

* * *

><p>"Okay, so if I am to formulate a plan," Bird started, standing up, "I'll need some recommendations. You know the basics, but since our statures aren't that of our normal selves, we can't cause as much commotion as usual."<p>

"No prank calls." Chubchub added.

"And no big risks." Doc concluded.

"Right." Bird said, nodding.

As Bird spoke to Doc and Chubchub, Albert sat on his own in the center of the rug, thinking carefully about how to cause mischief without having to risk too many things. Whenever Bird planned a means of Freakish mischief, Albert would always sit on his own, silently, but surely thinking of ways to make it better. Even as a baby, the cogs of Albert's mind still turned.

"I don't think any real 'mischief' would be a good idea," Albert thought as he scratched the single tuft of hair on his head, "but instead just play with them."

He turned around to see Bird still talking to the others.

"As children will often play with adults, maybe the closest thing to mischief is to make them chase us. But not because we did something wrong, think of it as a, uh... uh, a game! Yes, consider it to be a game of chase-and-tag! Doc used to do this to me before, so why not do that all over again?"

Finally, Albert stood up and broke Bird's planning with a cough(like when he came up with ideas normally). Everyone's attention was drawn to the (very)young scientist.

"Got any ideas?" Bird asked, "Good! I'm fresh out of plans to have our fun!"

"What did you come up with, Al?" Doc asked.

Albert took in a deep breath and said, "Do you remember when we used to chase eachother?"

* * *

><p>Once again, Daryl dialed some numbers on the living room phone. She heard the dial tone and eventually, someone answered.<p>

"Hello, Serena." Daryl said, "Is your husband at home?"

"Yes he is, actually." Serena replied, "I'll put him on the line right now!"

This was just what Daryl wanted to hear. She sighed in relief and then heard the doctor's voice ask "Yeah?"

"Hey, Dr, Gilly." Daryl said, "I was told by your wife you'd be out for a week. I'm kind of curious as of why your got back so early."

"Ahh, those stupid Poison Investigation guys made me stop my research, thus I'm home early."

"Ohh. Well, I have another question for you, but this one's faaar more important."

"Serena told me you had to tell me something. What's yer problem?"

"Well, Albert wanted me to request you some replacements for the Aging Waters. Had an accident with them while testing them out."

She feared that Dr. Dilly would suspect something happened to Albert, but instead, he said, "Ahh, that kid can be a bit clumsy sometimes. Especially with that weird creature of his. I bet _she's_ the one responsible for requiring the replacements."

A wave of relief overflowed Daryl and she replied, "Yeah. Accidents happen, even for scientists."

"That was the reason why I was away, actually. I expected Al to have something happen while doin' his research, so I went to get some more of the Aging Waters. Plus, he needs to have them with him when he's at the Science Yard. So yes, I'll get ya the replacements soon!"

"Great! How does tomorrow sound?"

"Works for me. Anyways, see you tomorrow, Lady!"

"See you soon, Doctor."

Daryl put the phone back into its cradle and she dropped her back back in relief.

"God damn, Lady!" she thought happily, "Looks like things are going your way, aren't they? Once this is over, I'm going to take Charpes out to drink!"

* * *

><p>"... thus my solution!" Albert finished.<p>

The other Freaks looked at Albert with dumbfounded looks on their faces.

"Sounds like a plan!" Bird exclaimed.

"And we'll get away with it, scot-free!" Albert added.

"Well what're we waiting for?" Chubchub asked, clinging to the wall, "Let's get on with it!"

Chubchub looked out the door's small window to see there was nobody in the hallway. She gestured the others that it was okay to open the door. Bird lifted Albert up onto his shoulders and the scientist turned the doorknob. As Albert held onto the doorknob, Bird backed up, pulling the now-open door back. After he had hopped down off of the Franken-monster's shoulders, Albert grabbed a nearby rattle and followed his friends out the door. Over the time of getting adjusted to their second "childhood", Albert developed a way of retaining his balance better and that was holding a rattle. Sure, it was a childish thing to do, but the other Freaks learned of Albert's problem and got used to seeing Albert walking about with a rattle. Albert didn't mind at all, in fact, he liked the rattle he carried with him.

As they silently snuck down the hallway, they looked left to right to see if anyone was going to catch them. They stopped and looked behind them as well, not realizing the darkness that dwelled in the hallway. It almost felt like it was pulsating. They got quite scared and backed up from this frightening darkness... without the realization that the stairs were right behind them, thus falling down them. Over the years of being in the Freak House, the Freaks had gotten used to falling down the stairs and landing on eachother when they hit the bottom. But this time, when they hit each stair, the pain they experienced was much worse. They knew why it hurt even more than usual. Once they hit the bottom and landed on top of eachother, they all cried quietly and then stood up, quickly getting over the pain. They heard Daryl and Charpes laughing in the living room. They sidled against a wall and scooted closer to the living room.

Bird gestured everyone to separate into different rooms and then peered from the side of the wall. He let out his mischievous smile and tossed a ball he carried with him at Charpes's back. He finally got the Guides' attention and Bird began to run. As she and Charpes began to chase Bird, Albert tossed his ball at Charpes and he began to run. Charpes then chased Albert. Each Freak took turns in throwing a ball at one Guide to the other, making them chase a different Freak. As they ran from the Guides, the Freaks laughed playfully. The Guides then knew what the Freaks were doing and went with the flow. After a short while, the Freaks gathered up and together, they ran from the Guides. Finally, the Guides managed to corner all four of the Freaks. Two grownups against four playful babies. Daryl and Charpes crept closer to the Freaks and tickled them. As the Guides tickled them(Daryl tickling Bird and Albert and Charpes tickling Chubchub and Doc), the Freaks laughed and wriggled incessantly, trying to resist the Guides' tickles. The Freaks were having fun.

Daryl and Charpes were having fun too. This had to be the most fun they've had after twenty long years and maybe, once the Freaks were back to normal, they'd have a bit more "fun" afterwards.

Several hours later, Annie and Richard had just returned home from what had to be the most stimulating date they've ever had. They entered the living room to see Daryl and Charpes, exhausted on the couch. Annie and Richard approached the two lovers.

"What have you two been doing while we were gone?" Annie asked.

"I'll explain." Charpes replied.

* * *

><p>The Freaks were so tired out after playing with the Guides that the Guides sent them to bed early. They lied down and laughed quietly.<p>

"I didn't think it'd end up being this fun!" Bird said.

"I told you we'd get away with my plan!" Albert sneered teasingly.

"That has to be the most fun I've had in years!" Chubchub chirped.

"I agree!" Doc replied.

Bird turned to Albert and scooted closer to his friend.

"Hey Al?" Bird asked, "Remember when I was being unfair to you the other day? Well, I'm sorry I blew up on you."

"Aw, you don't need to apologize, Bird." Albert replied, "I've already forgiven you, 'cause I know that when your emotions are all mixed-up like that, you tend to blow up on us, even if you didn't know it happened."

Bird smiled in relief and lied down.

"Well," he said, "Good night. Hopefully, we can do this again."

* * *

><p>Daryl awoke from a deep slumber. She just realized that she was on the couch and Charpes wasn't there beside her. After a long evening of playing with the Freaks and dancing the night away, the Guides passed out unexpectedly, leaving Daryl almost disoriented, but euphoric at the same time. She reached for a bottle that sat on the table beside the couch and took a few big gulps of water. As soon as she set the bottle down, she heard a knock on the door. She stood up and fixed her hair to where it was appropriate for answering the door. She ran to the door to see Dr. Gilly standing there with a bag.<p>

"Ah, hey Gilly." Daryl greeted the doctor.

"Hey Lady." Gilly replied, "Mind if I come in?"

"Actually, I do, because the living room's a bit of a mess."

"Oh well, I can't stay long anyways. Err, can I talk to Albert?"

This question made Daryl hesitate, but she managed to hold her hesitation back.

"I would go get him," Daryl replied, "but right now, he's showering."

"Ah. Of course, he's got that great head of hair that he doesn't seem to want to cut." Gilly said, "Anyways, I have the water samples for him here. Along with his first aid kit that he left at the lab."

As Daryl took the bag, a thought came into mind. She felt that the Freaks would get mad at her and the other Guides for having to take care of them in what could've been the most embarrassing way possible. She also thought of the Freaks, crying about the factor that they were going to be back to their normal ages soon, how much fun they had during that time when they were turned into babies and how nice it felt, being nursed by the Guides. Once she and Dr. Gilly exchanged goodbyes, Daryl entered the house with a smile.

She knew something that the Freaks didn't know just yet and it was going to end in success. Especially for the scientific Freak.

* * *

><p><strong>Hello guys, as you can see, this chapter took me a while to write because I was really busy with housework and things like that. Hopefully, I'll get to the last chapter of this fiction soon and it might have some emotional scenes, but will end successfully for the Freaks(especially Albert. You'll see why soon!)<strong>


End file.
